Friday, 31 August 2007

Today has been a day of rant and reflection. Not any ordinary reflection but Introspective Reflection. It has been heavy on me.

It's almost 9pm; the day is almost done, so I guess it is time to lighten up and loosen up. Pop the cork and enjoy what's left of our 50th anniversary bash. I can't wait for the next 50 years to come rolling by, can you?

So let me end today with this hilarious Safety Rules from the "1962 Honda Motorcycle Instruction Book. Translated by Honda for the American Motorcycle Rider", couched in a way that only the Japanese could understand. Note: some say that this was written in the 1930s, others say it could have been issued in the 1950s. No matter, there are various versions and this seems to be the definitive one:

At the rise of a hand from a policeman, stop rapidly. Do not pass him or otherwise disrespect him. When a passenger of the foot comes in sight, tootee the horn trumpet to him melodiously at first. If he still obstacles your passage, tootee him with vigour and express by word of mouth the warning, 'Hi, hi!' Beware of the wandering horse that he shall not take fright as you pass by. Do not explode the exhaust box at him. Go soothingly by, or stop by the roadside till he passes away. Give big space to the festive dog that makes sport in the roadway. Avoid entanglement of dog with wheel spokes. Go smoothly along on the grease mud, as there lurks the skid demon. Press the brake of the foot as you roll around the corner to save the collapse and fold up.

On 1 January 1957, George Town was conferred city status by a Royal Charter granted by Queen Elizabeth II, becoming the only city in Malaysia with such a unique status.

George Town's Royal Charter provided that:

"the said Municipality of George Town shall on the First Day of January in the Year of our Lord one thousand nine hundred and fifty seven and forever thereafter be a city and shall be called and styled the CITY OF GEORGE TOWN instead of the Municipality of George Town and shall thenceforth have all such rank, liberties, privileges and immunities as are incident to a city."

Several federal ordinances and acts still refer to the City of George Town, such as the City of George Town Ordinance 1957. According to Penang Heritage Trust (PHT) trustee Datuk Anwar Fazal, George Town "legally has been and is still a city [because] the City of George Town Ordinance 1957 had not been repealed" ("Penang Forgetting Its History", The Star, 1 Jan 2007).

And I want this resolution passed in Parliament declaring that:

George Town is a city;

George Town is Malaysia's first city;

George Town's status as Malaysia's first city must never and will never be questioned!

When I was still in primary school in the 1960s, the teachers used to tell us to show our love of the country by singing songs such as Berjaya. So, singing these patriotic songs became a staple diet with us. We might have been too young to understand what they meant but we still sang with gusto. Boy, it demonstrated our love of the country.

Today, especially this month, I've been hearing a lot of this song again in, of all places, the shopping malls. Was there a directive to the malls that they must play these songs?

Listening to this song again brought a lump to my throat. Has it been so long ago? There I was, a child barely of age to apply for an identity card and here I am, old enough to see my children graduate from college.

But of course, it is different. I still love my country. I was born here and I'll continue living here. But I've also become skeptical with the developments around me. What used to be accepted without question, I now look at issues with a more critical eye. In my secondary school days, my friends and I accepted one another with scant disregard of race or religion. I could count as my jolly good friends classmates who were Malays, Indians and Sikhs. We joked a lot in class and outside class but we never took any slights into our hearts. We didn't have to remember to be more sensitive of what we eat and say to the people around us.

Yes, the country has certainly progressed. The country has prospered. Where before half the country was agricultural, today we have manufacturing and the service industry leading us forward. Quality of life has generally improved. There are new houses to buy, new cars to ogle at, new shopping malls to visit, new toys and gadgets for the young and not-so-young, new products to pamper the vane. Yet, amidst all the material instant gratification, the situation has also changed for worse in many aspects during the past 40-odd years. I put this squarely at the feet of our politicians. They have led this country down an irreversible path of no return. How can it be that we continue to turn a blind eye to the racial polarisation in this country? How can it be that we continue to turn a blind eye to the religious divide? How can it be that we continue to turn a blind eye to the discriminations in the country? How can it be that we continue to turn a blind eye to the social labelling in this country? How can it be that we continue to tolerate the politicians who have exploited these issues for far too long?

But what can we do as we continue willy-nilly down this path of no return? To me, the damage of the past 40-odd years cannot be undone with the snap of the fingers. We cannot wake up tomorrow and say, okay, everything is back to square one. No, if we are serious in undoing all the wrongs inflicted on the citizens of this country, I foresee that it'll take at least two generations to heal the damage. Two generations, unless we are hijacked again by the politicians for their own personal agendas. I am not confident at all.

So there you are: a Malaysia still beset with racial polarisation, religious divide, discriminations, social labelling and exploiting politicians after 50 years of accepting a social contract that was drawn up by our founding fathers but is now being questioned and ignored by politicians who think they are doing us all a favour. Thanks but no thanks for your favours.

But do I love my country any less? I may be disillusioned with the issues around me but no, I do not love my country any less. It's just as strong. I love my country but not the asses and the morons and the holier-than-thous and the I'm-doing-it-for-your-own-good around me.

Coming back to the patriotic song Berjaya. Listening to it today, it feels positively out-of-date. It's now an old-fashioned, military-type song. Does it still stir patriotism in my loins? Not any more. In fact, it's not only an old-fashioned, military-type song but it hints at music that's typically composed during the communism era of the 1960s. I'm sorry to say this but having looked at life for slightly more than half a century, that's how bad I perceive this song to be now. It's become a silly tune.

Thursday, 30 August 2007

As I write this post, midnight is just less than 14 hours away. That's right, our country's 50th anniversary of independence is right round the corner. Since the beginning of this month, all the newspapers are full with news of Merdeka and full of reflections and reminiscences from people still alive who celebrated 31 Aug 1957.

Are you excited? Are you a pre-independence baby or are you a product of post-independence? Are you excited? Life couldn't be better in this time of euphoria, right? Are you really excited?

But let's not get carried away. As we look to the future, we know that this nation has progressed in the last 50 years. Maybe not in the way you or I may prefer, but it has progressed nevertheless. But even as we continue to move ahead, we should spare a thought for those who are less fortunate and have been left behind by progress.

I was filled with despair when I saw these two lonely, destitute ladies sitting together along Campbell Street in Penang with their meagre belongings stuffed into thin plastic bags. They were lost in their own world. Today is meaningless to them, just like yesterday was equally meaningless and tomorrow will probably be too. They have no where else to go and nobody else to turn to. They only have this companionship and they do not look forward to their next meals. Worse, the lady on the right looked sick. Spare a thought for them and give them a meal when you see them next around the city. That should be the spirit of Merdeka ... for them, for you, for me.

Wednesday, 29 August 2007

With only two days to go before the 50th anniversary of the country's independence, here are some of my wife's cherished memories from meeting Malaysia's founding father, Tengku Abdul Rahman, at his Ayer Rajah Road residence in Penang long after his retirement.

As for me, the closest I ever got to meeting him was when he dropped by his alma mater, the Penang Free School, to declare open the Khutub Khanah Tunku on 29 Dec 1969. It was still the end-of-year school holidays but I made it a point to be present at the school. We were in awe of him, man!

Tuesday, 28 August 2007

When the rain came down in sheets this morning, I was quietly calling on it to stop soon. It wasn't because I needed to go out for lunch. Rather, it was because of tonight's much publicised total eclipse of the moon which I wanted to watch.

But what happened?? The rain did stop but the sky was full of clouds. Clouds that completely obscured the heavens. And the lunar eclipse? A total wash-out, I tell you. If there's anyone in Penang that tells you that he saw the partial eclipse from here, you'd better take his tale with a grain of salt. Then chase him away.

However, just because we didn't see it from Penang doesn't mean that it did not happen. The lunar eclipse did happen and millions of people around the Pacific basin saw it except us, like for example, in Auckland:

Lunar eclipses happen when the moon moves into the shadow of the earth. It only occurs at the full moon and it turns the colour of the moon into rusty red. I was hoping to see that. Lunar eclipses are not that uncommon and I've witnessed a few before. But I've never experienced a total lunar eclipse.

There are many old wive's tales associated with eclipses but one story that has been going round and around in recent years is the association of lunar eclipses with earthquakes or volcanic eruptions.

It's postulated that when the sun, the earth and the moon are roughly aligned in a straight line, the gravitational forces of the sun and the moon on the earth are the strongest. The forces exert a lot of pull on the tectonic plates and occasionally, when the plates slip, seismic tremors are felt along the earth's rings of fire.

So will we witness another natural disaster within the next few hours? I can only hope that this story will remain just that: a fanciful story. The world doesn't need more disasters. There are already more than we can handle presently.

Monday, 27 August 2007

One of my colleagues came back from a vacation to the interior of China recently and all he brought back for me to see was this crappy digitised photo of a notice in a hotel room in Shigatze. Some more, it wasn't even on his harddisk or thumbdrive. I had to go to Flickr to see it and his other holiday photos. So here it is, Ted's crappy but hilarious photo from China. If you cannot read it well, here is the full version:

NOTICE TO THE GUEST

I. Be dissatisfied with if to service, but dial since guesthouse inside telephone connections accuses telephone 8888 during that period when the guest stops at an inn.

II. According to the regulations of public stations,prostitution , vistprosti-tutes,gambling can not be allowed, visisters must leave guest room be-fore11:30pm.

III. Valuable things, cash, certificate to deposit in the reception desk safetybox, if they are left in the guest rooms or public area,Hotel will not beresponsible for the loss.

IV. In order to ensure public safety,please do not carry combustibles, cor-rode, narcotic drugs into Hotel.

Saturday, 25 August 2007

Last Saturday week (18 Aug 2007), I went with my son to lunch at the Coliseum Cafe & Hotel in Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman, Kuala Lumpur. It had been exactly 33 years and 14 days since I last stepped foot into the Coliseum Cafe. Actually, this would only be my second time; the first and last time that I had been inside this very old - in fact, you can call it historical - building was on 4 Aug 1974.

Anyway, time seemed to have slowed down once you are through the doors. Not stopped but slowed down ... considerably. Little had noticeably changed if my memory served me right. The old tables were there, the old but clean starchy table cloths covering the tables, the old ceiling fans turning lazily, the old air-conditioners humming away, the old coat hangers adorning the walls, the old gents and ladies' cloakrooms with their swing doors, the sturdy old staircase, the old bar that's still the centre of attraction (other than the food), the old sofa sets...

Everything from that old, wistful period still seemed to be around except perhaps the old staff. Surely, the staff I saw in the cafe couldn't have lasted the last 30 years or so...or could they?? If these were newer staff, they still looked old enough and they were in the same, old starchy white uniforms. And the menu. Well, I'm sure that it was not as old as the staff. It actually looked relatively new.

When we stepped in the cafe, I expected that maybe the service had changed and we would be shown to an empty table. But no, we were simply asked to just go sit down anywhere. Ahh...perhaps we were unfamiliar faces. I let that pass. I was determined to enjoy myself and relive the past. So I chose to sit strategically at the back so I could watch people going by.

I did enjoy myself watching the food being served and the types of people that came into the cafe. The food we ordered was also interesting. I had some fish and prawns with some cheesy mashed potatoes and drowned in some non-descript sauce while my son had a 4-in-1 comprising chicken, ham and what-not rolled tight and deep fried. Okay-lah was all he would comment about his choice of food.

I had an opportunity to speak briefly with the lady proprietress before I left the cafe and she told me that the hotel now catered mainly to backpackers. During the colonial and pre-independent days, prominent guests such as the Tunku used to room here but that's completely from another era. Even as we talked, one came in and climbed the stairs. I wanted to go up too to see how the place looked like but was distracted by something else. Maybe I should have. I really wouldn't know when I'll be able to revisit the Coliseum Cafe again...

Friday, 24 August 2007

Here are my latest music purchases. Two compact discs bought at Tower Records, MidValley Megamall when I was there last weekend.

I had been very interested in the Before The Flood double-CD from Bob Dylan and The Band for quite some time and I couldn't pass up the chance to add this to my CD collection since Tower Records were having a 20 percent discount sale.

I was listening to this CD yesterday and today, and I was blown away by the atmosphere. Initially, I wondered why Dylan seemed to be shouting and dragging out the last syllable of his sentences, as if The Band were attempting to drown him but later, I realised that he was positively enjoying himself. Anyway, it was his concert and he blardy well could do whatever he wanted. The Band were in fine form too, not only when they were backing Dylan but also when they played some of their most well-received numbers.

I had no hesitation when I picked up The Essential Harry Belafonte from the record store. Surely, this double-CD would justify putting down my money for it. I was already familiar with Belafonte's work from two CDs in my collection - Belafonte At Carnegie Hall and Belafonte Returns To Carnegie Hall. But here was a collection of his best songs, all personally selected by him.

While listening to the CD today in my car, I was also reading the liner notes. Can you imagine my surprise to learn that the very first track in this collection, Midnight Special, actually featured Bob Dylan making his first professional appearance as a musician by playing the harmonica.

Sometimes, you'd think that fate was funny. When I bought the two compact discs, I had no clue that Dylan would be the connection between the two discs. But yes, he actually was.

Wednesday, 22 August 2007

No where else but along the North-South Expressway can you see the widespread, wanton destruction to our natural beauty. Whether you are travelling from north to south or in the opposite direction, you cannot but feel an outrage at the company or companies that are simply gnawing away at our hills for commercial gain. You'll see these sights near the Ipoh South Toll Plaza.

Who is going to take responsibility for allowing this destruction to occur? The companies are blasting away the hills to recover the granite or limestone or marble because there are consumers who want to buy them! If there is no demand, there will be no supply. So are the consumers to blame?Or does the responsibility lie with the companies involved with the blasting? Do they see commercial gain in the rocks that are beneath the top soil of the hills? When you travel along this stretch of the expressway, you are either silent with rage or dumbstruck with awe. Take your pick. It makes little difference. Or do you care at all about the destruction?

Maybe, the responsibility lies ultimately with the Perak state government. Why are they allowing this to happen right in front of everyone? The land is everyone's heritage; why allow it to be destroyed? Perhaps the approval was given a long time ago. But why wasn't there a constant monitoring of the work that was going around these hills? Is the government helpless? Are their hands tied? Is the government so insensitive towards everything? Are the authorities looking the other way? It took eons for the land to form in its natural beauty but it takes just one blast to open up a wound.

And this is the grand-daddy of all the blast sites - an enormous cliff of exposed marble. I guess the consumers, the companies and the government are hardly concerned about this. But ... what about the residents of Ipoh themselves? Has any concerted effort been made to stop the activities?

And this is evidence that the blasts are still on-going. Puffs of smoke that linger behind with every additional cutting away of the hills around Ipoh. If the residents and environmental activists are not playing their parts, then I suppose there is nothing more to say. Best of luck to the people of Ipoh. You really got what you voted for: a government that cares two hoots for the conservation of the environment.

Here are two chess illuminaries that I bumped into whilst at the CitiTel Hotel in Kuala Lumpur.

The first is Ignatius Leong, the secretary-general of the World Chess Federation who is based in his hometown, Singapore. He was around for a day to take a peek at the Malaysian Chess Festival. I've known him since the mid-1970s when he brought a group of Singaporean chess players to Penang as part of a tour that also took him to Ipoh and KL. My, that was a very long time ago and we have been keeping in touch all these years. He married recently and let me take this opportunity to wish him a belated blissful wedded life. Sorry, mate, I was too caught up with some domestic problems here in Penang at that time.

The second is Murray Chandler, originally from New Zealand who now makes England his home. I first knew him in 1974 at the inaugural Asian Team Chess Championship in Penang. At that time, he was a mere 14-year-old, all long haired and in shorts, while I was just six years older. Our ages today are still six years apart, haha! But he has now progressed to become a grandmaster. Me? I'm quite satisfied to stay as an international arbiter.

Tuesday, 21 August 2007

Babies are cute but they do not belong in serious chess tournaments. Babies are too temperamental and unpredictable. They cry at the least provocation. This disturbs people around them. That's distraction.

I was surprised that the arbiters in the Malaysian Chess Festival had allowed this lady to have her baby around her when she played her games at the Merdeka rapidchess open tournament and later, the AmBank chess challenge. Personally, I feel this is wrong. What is the message that we are trying to project: that the Malaysian Chess Festival is a serious event or a fun event?

To the top teams that played in the Merdeka rapidchess open, competing for the prize monies was not a fun business. To them, it was a serious event. But most of the other teams that played on the lower boards, perhaps the antics of a baby would be more tolerable. The organisers probably has this in mind when they allowed her to play with her baby on her lap.

But come to the Dato Arthur Tan memorial chess tournament and the AmBank chess challenge, both events being run side-by-side in the same function room, this lady should no longer be allowed such liberties. In the Arthur Tan event, we have top regional grandmasters and other titled players coming here to compete. They expect the highest professional level of organisation. Babies that make noise should be the last thing that the players should be concerned about.

Yes, I know that the organisers have arranged for her to sit beside a changing room where the player could go to attend to her baby's needs but this solution is rather unacceptable. Why allow the players to be distracted when the baby starts crying? I see no reason for this.

Well, I'm no longer at the CitiTel Hotel in Kuala Lumpur so I cannot obsserve the latest on this episode. But I hope efforts have been made to disallow cute distractions from serious chess events. This is my two cents' worth of opinion.

Monday, 20 August 2007

"We had enough chances and we played fantastic football at times. We were just wasteful. There were so many opportunities to win it ourselves. I can't fault the performance - we completely dominated but we should have sewn the game up. We've given ourselves an uphill battle. Over the years we have always been able to overcome these things. We will have to do so again. But this is a league where if you make mistakes like this one, it punishes you. We need to get a win under our belts. We have to rely on our experience and make sure we do not get carried away with a knee-jerk reaction to it all."

Huh? What is this? I came back from Kuala Lumpur this evening only to find that my football team had lost in a derby match in England yesterday!

It's so embarrassing for the Premier League champions to start the new season without a win in three games. It's even more embarrassing for the Premier League champions to wallow in the bottom quarter of the league tables. It's their worst start since 1992.

I'm not one that'll run away from reproducing the league standings here. I defy every non-Manchester United fan as I take comfort that they will bounce back. It's not going to be easy but I know my team will claw their way back into reckoning.

In case anyone asks, I had intentionally chosen not to have Internet access in Kuala Lumpur where I had been all weekend. I chose not to connect to the world so that I have some peace of mind to enjoy myself. Yesss...

Friday, 17 August 2007

I hear that wild bloggers may soon be trapped and shipped off to countries like China or Taiwan. That's the impression I get after I read a story in the New Straits Times today.

Cor ... isn't this great? I haven't set foot in China for many years and actually, I haven't visited Taiwan before. So it will be a great opportunity to visit my ancestral village in Fukien province when the time comes to be trapped and shipped. Maybe, if I go to Kuala Lumpur this afternoon, I'll have a greater chance to be noticed and selected. No need to be trapped.

In case you are wondering why the heck I'm monkeying about with words, just be reminded that the Famous Son-in-Law was quoted by Bernama on 28 July 2007:

"Umno wants bloggers who resort to slander to be brought to book, said Umno Youth deputy chief Khairy Jamaluddin. He said these bloggers did not think about the sensitivities of others and the repercussions their writings can cause. "There are no laws in the cyberworld except for the law of the jungle. As such, action must be taken so that the 'monkeys' behave."

So there you are. It's official. Lim Kit Siang is a monkey. Jeff Ooi is a monkey. Raja Petra is a monkey. Nat Tan is a monkey. Kenny Sia is a monkey. Jeffrey is a confirmed monkey. I'm twice a monkey, since I'm writing two blogs. My daughter's a monkey too. Out there somewhere, I'm sure that I'm already a monkey's uncle. NameWee of Negarakuku fame is a monkey. Oh, I forgot...he's already in Taiwan. Already shipped there. Are you also a monkey? Do let me know if you are!

I'm still on the topic of the Bukit Gantang bus crash earlier this week and the New Straits Times reports today that drivers of express buses and lorries plying the North-South Expressway spend too much time of the roads and have too little rest. About 45 percent of them drive more than 500km in a day and seven percent do twice this distance.

It's no wonder that with fatigue setting in, many of them admit to falling asleep at the wheel. Though most times the shut-eye is only momentary, meaning that the driver is jerked awake, it's enough to contribute to accidents on the road.

I can attest to this because last February, on my way back to Penang from Kuala Lumpur, as I was trying to overtake an express bus, I could sense the bus slowly creeping into my right of way. I pulled back and gave a loud tootle on my horn which woke up the bugger. He swung back to his lane and later, gave me a wave of his hand in apology when I tried to overtake him again, this time successfully.

The report in the NST said:

Almost 60 percent of the drivers spent more than eight hours daily at the wheel;

About three-quarters of the 1,000 drivers interviewed said they worked six or seven days a week;

One driver drove from Bukit Kayu Hitam to Singapore, a distance of more than 1,000km, with only two 10-minute breaks;

Many express buses do not have two drivers although this is required by law;

Even if there is a co-driver, he is not actually resting but talking with the driver.

Telematics Mukaya (M) Sdn Bhd surveyed the drivers plying routes along the North-South Expressway in May and June this year. What a shame that the findings are only made public now, in the wake of the crash.

Wednesday, 15 August 2007

Sun2Surf, the online version of theSun newspaper, hit the nail on the head today when it said that some authorities are sleeping on the job. The newspaper said lack of action from the Police and the Road Transport Department (RTD) contributed to the horror bus accident that happened in the early hours of Monday near Bukit Gantang in Perak.

Enforcement is shockingly poor and nobody is doing anything about it, said Sun2Surf, pointing to these observations:

RTD's demerit point penalty system is as good as dead;

The bus operators do not have access to RTD and the Police's online records to check on drivers they employ;

The bus had failed the brake tests by Puspakom (privatised commercial vehicles inspection centre) four times;

The bus had been summoned 19 times by the Police since 1991 and 79 times by RTD in the last five years;

The driver had 13 traffic summonses and two warrants of arrest but the Police took no action against him.

I'm not surprised. We have always been a reactive society, never a proactive one. Only when accidents happen do we see the government, the politicians and the authorities stir into action. Even then, they'll pontificate and blow hot for a few weeks and then when the rakyat thinks that some action is finally going to be taken, everything will fizzle away. Memories sure fade fast for those not directly affected by the accident.

Yesterday over the RedFM radio station, it was mentioned that every bus was required to display a toll-free telephone number (1-800-88-9600) for the public to make complaints easily to the Lembaga Pelesenan Kenderaan Perdagangan (LPKP). I should also mention that the same toll-free number appears behind every commercial vehicle. This will include lorries and taxis. However, callers said that nobody seemed to be manning the toll-free number. Calls went unanswered. Even the RedFM announcers tried unsuccessfully to call the number at 9am.

If this is the attitude of the LPKP, it is no surprise that drivers of commercial vehicles are so emboldened on the roads because they know that nobody will ever manage to complain. Traffic police, RTD, LPKP ... they don't seem to be performing. Or perhaps they are inefficient. Or clueless. Or overworked. Or underpaid. Or overpaid. Or ... what?

Gee ... what a rightful mess. What a farce. But don't laugh, please don't laugh. It affects you too. You have a stake in this mess too. As long as we travel on the roads, each of us have a stake in this poor state of public safety. Only, let's just hope we won't ever be involved in it.

Tuesday, 14 August 2007

“You must always remember that no matter how high you climb up, you must come down the same way. Be good to those you meet on the way up. When you come down, you will meet them again, unless of course you decide to jump down and break your neck!”